Blasts in Assam, Manipur; Omar Abdullah for resumption of talks with Pakistan

In Srinagar, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in his Independence Day address advocated resumption of dialogue with Pakistan as well as with the separatists to resolve the political issues of Jammu and Kashmir.

NEW DELHI: Bomb blasts rocked Assam and Manipur during Independence Day functions injuring one person even as Chief Ministers asked extremists to abjure violence and return to the mainstream.

"Jammu and Kashmir is a political problem and can be resolved only through a process of dialogue.We have to start the dialogue process both internally as well as bilaterally (with Pakistan) for addressing this issue," he said at the Bakshi Stadium.

He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif should take steps for earning each other's confidence to carry forward the dialogue process between the two countries.

Omar also expressed concern over the recent ceasefire violations by Pakistan, saying such incidents were not good for the dialogue process. "You violate the ceasefire, our people suffer.We retaliate, your people suffer.Guns cannot be a solution," he said.

The celebrations passed off peacefully in the state with no report of any untoward incident from anywhere in the Valley.

In Bongaigaon in Assam, the anti-talk NDFB (Sangbijit) faction triggered serial blasts injuring one person in Kokrajhar district where the outfit exploded two grenades while another was triggered in neighbouring Chirang district.

Bipul Brahma (45) was injured in one of the explosions in Kokrajhar.Another unexploded bomb was recovered from the district and defused.

A powerful bomb exploded a few minutes before the celebrations of Independence day in Manipur but no casualty was reported.The bomb, planted by insurgents, went off at around 8.20 AM at Moirangkhom petrol pump area, about 400 metres from the 1st Manipur rifles parade ground ahead of the I-Day function.

The site of the explosion was about one km from the residence of Chief Minister Ibobi Singh, who asked insurgents to give up violence and join the national mainstream by participating in implementation of various development programmes for the welfare of the people.